The man who allegedly tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump while he was on the golf course on Sunday had previously been reported to the FBI for possessing a firearm as a felon, the FBI said Monday.
FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Office, Jeffrey Veltri, said the FBI received a complaint in 2019 that Ryan Routh was in possession of a firearm.
“As part of the investigation following the tip, the alleged accuser was interviewed but did not verify — I repeat, did not verify — the initial tip. The FBI passed the information on to local police in Honolulu,” Veltri said.
Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe strongly defended the security plan the agency put in place after the first assassination attempt in July, saying the multiple layers of security had worked as intended.
“An officer accompanying Mr Rowe apparently grabbed the handle of my backpack in an attempt to stop me from pursuing Mr Rowe.”
“Right after the assassination attempt, [Trump] “On July 13, the Secret Service added additional assets to its already heightened security posture. … In the days that followed, Biden made it clear he wanted the highest level of security for President Trump and Vice President Harris,” Rowe said. “Secret Service security techniques were effective yesterday.”
Rowe said Rouse did not have Trump in his sights and did not attack the former president.
Veltri said because the investigation is still in its early stages, he couldn't say when Routh arrived in the West Palm Beach area or whether he was acting alone or had help.
After the press conference, The Blaze News asked Rowe how many assassination attempts Trump must survive before dramatic changes are made to the Secret Service. Rowe did not answer the question.
A member of staff accompanying Lowe grabbed the handle of the Blaze News reporter's backpack, appearing to try to slow the reporter down and stop him from chasing Lowe.
When The Blaze News confronted the reporter, he let go of the reporter's backpack and said he was just trying to get through – there was plenty of room for him to get through without grabbing his bag.
After passing by the Blaze News reporter, the staff member attempted to prevent the reporter from approaching Lowe again, who was a few steps away, but as mentioned above, the hallway was wide enough that Blaze News was able to question Lowe again and received no response.
Rowe then got into an SUV and left the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
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